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Deer Ecology 101

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    Originally posted by Hawkpuppy 1 View Post
    Deer as a rule won't eat anything with blue or purple flowers. Keep that in mind right now while looking at the landscape thinking you have a lot of good forbs....
    Originally posted by Top Of Texas View Post
    Except for Dayflower, Venus Looking Glass, Tahoka Daisy, to name a few off the top of my head.
    Originally posted by texashunter56 View Post
    Add Wine Cup to that list of purple flowering forbs they will eat. Very high protein also.

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      Awesome thread, cant believe I didn't find this sooner... bring on the Info!

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        learn me something.

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          Great thread

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            This thread is awesome!


            Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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              Originally posted by Larry View Post
              That's why I said "as a rule" not they won't ever...

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                Right now there are lots of fawns hitting the ground, and they will continue all summer long depending on where you are at in the state. I have seen fawns on the ground as early as April and as late as September. As a rule, deer have a gestation of about 215-220 days. You can use that to count back from the arrival of fawns to get a better idea of when your does are getting bred.

                Fawns, when born, are not ruminants. Initially they are monogastrics (one stomach), and do not actually develop all 4 compartments, rumen, reticulum, abomasum and omasum, of the true ruminant system for over a month. Obviously milk is ther only food for the first several weeks and slowly will transition over to grasses, forbs and other feeds.

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                  Top - need more to read
                  Last edited by SnJGuin; 03-01-2018, 01:02 PM. Reason: stupid stuff

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                    Originally posted by Hawkpuppy 1 View Post
                    Back on track now with some more info....

                    This time of year can, and is, just as critical as any other for WTD. Right now, bucks are in probably their worst body condition and dropping antlers. Does are about 3.5 months from dropping fawns. Nutrition is a major factor right now more than ever. Bucks body conditions must be brought back up to "normal" to ensure maximum potential for a good start to new antler growth. Does need the same to help keep their body conditions up for fawn development.

                    Now, all that being said, if you are just now feeding to help with these issues, you're way behind the 8 ball. I hear and see a lot of people that only feel the need to supplemental feed protein during the summer months for antler growth. While that is a critical time, year round availability of both quality native and supplemental feed is just as, if not more, important. Keeping deer in their best body conditions all year long is extremely important for antler and fawn production, mortality reduction from post rut stress and a host of other things. Don't be they guy that just feeds corn after September...
                    Just to help revive this thread and to add to this statement, during the dormant period for deer browse, deer were keeping my plots very short, now that deer browse plants are emerging they have left the plots untouched. My Winter Wheat is 6inches now, clover is exploding, not many tracks in my plots.

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                      Good info

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